Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Effects of cecropin antimicrobial peptides on growth and intestinal health in growing male minks.
- Journal:
- Frontiers in veterinary science
- Year:
- 2025
- Authors:
- Chen, Jian et al.
- Affiliation:
- College of Animal Science and Technology · China
Abstract
This study investigated the effects of dietary supplementation with cecropin antimicrobial peptides (CAD) on growth performance and intestinal health in growing male minks (). A cohort of 60 male minks (65 days old) were evenly divided into six groups and fed a basal diet supplemented with CAD at 0 (control), 100, 200, 300, 400, or 500 mg/kg for 8 weeks. The findings revealed that the minks in 200 mg/kg CAD group had greater growth performance, with significantly higher final body weight (FBW) and average daily gain (ADG). Compared to the minks in the control ( < 0.05). Digestibility analyses at week 3 demonstrated that CAD supplementation enhanced ether extract (EE) digestibility ( < 0.05), while 200, 400, and 500 mg/kg CAD improved crude protein (CP) digestibility ( < 0.05). Intestinal morphology assessments indicated that 200 mg/kg CAD significantly increased duodenal and jejunal villus height (both < 0.05) and jejunal villus height-to-crypt depth ratio ( < 0.05) compared to the control. Serum immunological analyses revealed elevated levels of complement C4 and IgG in CAD-supplemented groups ( < 0.05). Notably, the 100 mg/kg CAD group exhibited the higher serum IgA, IgM, and complement C3, and less jejunal TNF-levels (all < 0.05). Microbiota profiling showed that CAD supplementation reduced the relative abundance ofand, while 100, 200 and 400 mg/kg CAD decreasedpopulations ( < 0.05). The 100 mg/kg CAD group displayed optimal immune enhancement and microbiota modulation, whereas the 200 mg/kg group achieved the best growth performance and intestinal function. These results suggest that dietary CAD supplementation at 100-200 mg/kg effectively improves growth, nutrient utilization, and intestinal health in growing male minks.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40438415/